Spring of the Fire Blossom
by withfateweconspire
Summary: Life as a ninja isn't easy, especially when you're friends with the brooding village heart-throb and the ramen obsessed troublemaker. But honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. Semi-SI OC.
1. Early Morning Errands

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING NARUTO RELATED, ONLY MY OC'S**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: Early Morning Errands<strong>

* * *

><p>I awoke to the painful feeling of sharp claws kneading my scalp. I shot one hand out from under the covers to lightly swat the paw away from my head so that I could go back to sleep.<p>

"It's time to get up Harui-chan, it's already 6. Kana-sama and Natsuo-kun are already having breakfast downstairs," the cat said as he saw me begin to drift back into dreamland.

I cracked an eye open at my kaa-chan's ninja-cat sitting on the edge of my pillow. True to the cat's words, whose name I now recalled was Kuro, the smell of spices and cooked meat began to waft up the stairs and into my room. It smelled heavenly and my thoughts of sleep where completely lost as my stomach began to grumble.

I quickly got out of bed and made my way to the bathroom with a change of clothes in my arms. Entering the small room, I pulled out a small stool from under the sink for me to stand on so that I could brush my teeth. I blankly stared at my reflection in the mirror, my soot brown colored eyes half-lidded. There were lines pressed into my lightly tanned face from the scrunched up pillow case. My dark, tea colored hair looked like a crumpled mess with shoulder length clumps curling out in every direction. Finished, I rinsed out my mouth and hopped in the shower. I cleaned up in record time, then quickly got dressed and twisted my wet hair into a bun as I made my way down the stairs.

"Good morning!" I greeted as I entered the kitchen. Two heads of taupe colored hair turned to look at me.

"Good morning Harui-chan! I already made you a plate, so hurry up and eat before it gets cold," Kaa-chan said, gesturing to the steaming plate in front of the empty chair.

"About time you got up sleepyhead! I was betting Kaa-san that you wouldn't get up until you heard the door shut when we left," Natsuo-nii teased as I shot him a glare.

"Hey! Just 'cause I like to sleep doesn't mean I won't wake up in time when I have to!"

"Yeah, right! Kaa-san had to send Kuro to get you up so that we wouldn't be late."

"I would have gotten up on my own in a few minutes anyway!"

"Sure, sure. How about we make a bet on that for tomorrow?"

"Fine! You're on baka-nii! I bet I-"

"Now, now you two," Kaa-chan intervened," make your bets later. Harui-chan, hurry up and eat your breakfast. Natsuo-kun, put your dishes in the sink and finish getting ready. It's already almost 6:30 and we need to leave here in fifteen minutes to get to the shop on time, understood?"

"Hai," I chirped before I began to chow down on my food.

"Hai, Kaa-san." Natsuo-nii moved to place his dishes in the sink and chugged the rest of his morning tea before heading upstairs to brush his teeth.

* * *

><p>Today was like most days of the week. Kaa-chan would take us with her to check on the Takihana Tea Shop's inventory and any orders that needed to be taken care of. Normally it is the Clan Head's duty to oversee the Tea Shop's business, but, since Tou-san still has his shinobi duties and Kaa-chan is retired, the Clan Head duties have fallen unto her since she is always in the village.<p>

We slowly made our way down the street. I watched as lights turned on in windows and vendors bustled about setting up shop for the day. These peaceful mornings where what I looked forward to the most when dragged along to run errands. I tilted my head up and watched as the sun's rays slowly brightened the sky and turned the clouds into clumps of fluffy pink and orange.

As we approached the shop, I could see the old lady who worked there sweeping away the leaves at the entrance.

"Baa-chan! Baa-chan!" I shouted and waved.

She looked up and smiled at us, "Oh! Hello Harui-chan, Natsuo-kun! Good morning Kana-san."

"Morning Baa-san." Natsuo-nii greeted.

"Good morning Kaede-san. How are you this morning?" Kaa-chan asked.

"Oh, I'm doing quite well Kana-san. Come, come let's go inside and take care of business so that the little ones can enjoy the rest of the day!"

We followed Baa-chan inside and into the back storage room. Kaa-chan got out her list and began checking off the items, every now and then pointing out something to Natsuo-nii. Since Natsuo-nii is the clan heir Kaa-chan always makes sure he pays attention when we run errands since it will be his responsibility one day.

"It looks like everything is in order, only a couple items need restocking. Has there been any new orders, Kaede-san?" Kaa-chan asked.

"Hmm, let me think. Ah! Yes. An Uchiha came to the shop the other day and placed an order for five bundles of our original blend spiced tea. Wait right there Kana-san, I'll go find the order form!" Baa-chan exclaimed before she shuffled off to the front desk.

"Here it is Kana-san. Five bundles for Uchiha Mikoto-san are due to be delivered today," said Baa-chan as she handed the slip of paper over to Kaa-chan.

"For Mikoto-san!? I'll take care of this one personally, Kaede-san. If you could please fill out the order forms for the items that need restocking, I'll return later to pick them up for processing." Kaa-chan handed her inventory list to Baa-chan.

"Of course Kana-san. Have a nice day!"

* * *

><p>After we left the Tea Shop, Kaa-chan lead us down the street towards the Uchiha compound, carrying the tied up bundles in her hand.<p>

"Kaa-san, why are _you_ delivering this package instead of having one of the workers do it?" Natsuo-nii questioned.

"Because Natsuo-kun, the Uchihas are a long time client of ours and Mikoto-san is a friend of mine. Also, it's important in business to keep close ties with people of great influence Natsuo-kun, remember that."

"Hai! Kaa-san."

As we rounded the corner, I spotted a huge gate up a head with a giant red and white fan painted on each door.

"Kaa-chan, is that the Uchiha compound?" I asked, pointing at the painted gates.

"Hai, Harui-chan. Hopefully your Kaa-chan remembers how to get to Mikoto-san's house from here, ne."

After a few wrong turns here and there, we finally made it to the door step of the largest house in the compound. I fidgeted as I stared up at the intimidating house before me. I wonder what kind of people lived here?

Kaa-chan knocked on the shoji doors. I could hear some shuffling inside and voices before the door slid open.

"Hel-Oh! Kana-san! What a pleasant surprise!"

I stared up at the woman before me. She had long silky black hair, beautiful porcelain skin, and kind eyes.

"Hello Mikoto-san! Yes, it's been to long since we last seen each other. How is everything?"

"Oh, everything has been great! Please, come in so we can catch up! What's that you're carrying by the way?"

Kaa-chan lifted the seemingly forgotten bundles of tea leaves towards Mikoto-san." Ah, I almost forgot! These are the tea leaves you ordered from our shop the other day. I thought I'd deliver them to you myself since it's been so long since I've seen you."

"Oh, well, thank you!" Mikoto-san took the package then glanced down at my nii-san and I. "Oh! Natsuo-kun you certainly have grown! You probably don't remember me do you? How old are you now? Have you gone to the academy yet? You look like you're at that age."

"Hai, Uchiha-san. I just turned seven last month and this will be my second year at the academy." Natsuo-nii answered.

"Please, call me Mikoto-san," Natsuo-nii nodded, then Mikoto-sans gazed turned to me. "Oh, look how adorable you are Harui-chan! And how old are you now little one?"

"I just turned four this spring, Mikoto-san!" I replied, proudly holding up four small fingers.

"Oh, why you're the same age as my youngest one! I must introduce you to him, I'm sure you two would get along." Mikoto-san then turned and walked into the house, motioning for us to follow. "Come in and make yourselves at home! I'll make us tea and some snacks."

She led us in to the living room then hurried off to the kitchen, pausing at the foot of the staircase by the door.

"Sasuke-chan! Come down and meet our guests!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

**So this is my first fan fiction ever! I've been reading a lot of OC stories lately which is why I decided my first story would be a semi-SIOC Classes are in session right now so I can't promise any weekly updates, BUT I will try my best!**

**Here is some background information of the Takihana clan in case I don't cover it in future chapters…..**

**The Takihana clan of Konoha was once only known as a civilian clan. Gaining most of their wealth through the tea trade, the Takihanas were known best for their special blends of spiced and floral teas. As their business expanded and their family grew, some members of the clan began to follow the path of the ninja instead of picking up the family business. This is when the Takihana clan began its transition into being recognized as one of the many Shinobi clans of the Hidden Leaf Village.**

**Declaring themselves a shinobi clan gave them a greater reputation among the village as shinobi and civilians became more familiar with the name Takihana. By law, a shinobi clan must be run by a Clan Head who is a ninja, which is how Takihana Jiro and Takihana Kana became the Clan's fifth Patriarch and Matriarch respectively.**

**Although the Takihana Clan does not possess a kekkei genkai, they were known to have a strong affinity towards fire and lightening. They developed their own techniques and fighting style known as the Blooming Fire style. Their clan insignia, the kanji for blossom flame 花炎, was derived from these techniques. They were still considered a minor clan amongst the others though, since they only produced a few talented Jonin and mostly average level Chunin.**


	2. Meeting the Uchihas

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does. I only own my OC's.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: Meeting the Uchihas<strong>

* * *

><p>I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and watched as a boy with pale skin and spiky, raven hair came bounding down the steps.<p>

"Sasuke-chan, this is Takihana Kana-san and her children Natsuo-kun and Harui-chan." Mikoto-san introduced, each of us smiling and giving a nod when we she said our name. "Harui-chan is the same age as you so I hope you two can become friends."

The boy glanced at his mother then turned to us and bowed, "Hello, I'm Uchiha Sasuke."

"Well then, Sasuke-chan," Mikoto-san gently nudged her son forward, "how about you show Natsuo-kun and Harui-chan to the inner garden so you all can play while Kana-san and I chat. I'll let you know when the snacks and tea are ready."

"Hai, Okaa-chan," The raven haired boy began to walk down one of the many hallways, motioning for us to follow. "The garden is this way, follow me."

We walked awkwardly in silence until we reached the garden when Natsuo-nii finally spoke up.

"So…Uchiha-san, can we call you Sasuke-kun? Or would you rather be called Sasuke-_chan_?" Natsuo-nii added with a grin.

I giggled at my brother's teasing, however the Uchiha boy was definitely not amused.

"…Just Sasuke is fine, Takihana-san."

"Alright, then you can just call us by our names too. I'm Natsuo, but if you want you can call me Natsuo the Great kekeke! And this is my imouto Ha-"

"Hiya! You can call me Harui the Awesome! Nice to meet ya, Sasuke!" I gave him a lopsided grin and thrusted my hand towards him.

"Pft, Harui the Awesome? Yea right, more like Harui the lame, or better yet, Harui the weirdo." Natsuo-nii scoffed. I sent him a glare as I heard Sasuke give a small chuckle.

"Whatever, Baka-nii! I'm SO cooler than you, and you know it!" I took a challenging step towards him.

"HA! Are not!" He moved forward.

"Are too!"

"Are NOT!"

"Are TOO!" Our foreheads now butted together. The sound of a snort caught my attention and I turned to Sasuke, "I bet even Sasuke can tell I'm way cooler than a baka like you! Right, Sasuke!?"

"Uh, I-"

"Yea right! You totally think I'm cooler huh, Sasuke?"

"NO, he thinks I'm cooler!"

"NO, me!"

Natsuo-nii slid over to Sasuke's side with a devious grin on his face. "Ne, Sasuke, I'll give you whatever you want if you tell her that I'm the coolest, hmm?"

"Hey! Don't listen to him Sasuke!" I moved to his other side and slung my arm over his shoulders then whispered into his ear, "But seriously though, what would you like? I'm sure we could work something out, besides, you and I are friends now and friends should always have eachother's back no matter what, right Sasuke!"

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly at that last part before he quickly looked away, but I could have sworn I saw his cheeks redden a bit. I smirked, _**I've totally got him on my side now hehehe.**_

Stepping away from us, he looked at the ground while he said "I'm sorry Natsuo **(**_**HA! In your face baka-nii! Hehe-) **_and Harui **(**_**WHAT?!)**_, but neither of you are correct, because the coolest person ever is…my _Aniki!"_

I stared at him with my mouth hanging open while Natsuo-nii dramatically collapsed to the ground in defeat. _**Wha-what happened?! I thought I just totally won him over with my touching declaration of friendship?!**_

Just then an older boy dressed in grey armor appeared in the garden's entrance. He looked a lot like Sasuke, except he had long hair pulled back in a low ponytail and lines running under each eye.

"Ah, hello. I am Sasuke's older brother, Itachi. You two must be Harui-san and Natsuo-san, nice to meet you." He gave a small smile and nodded to us.

"Aniki! You're back! How was your mission? Did you beat up a bunch of bad guys?" Sasuke asked, his eyes glowing with admiration for his older brother.

"The mission was a success, as always, otouto. Which reminds me, Okaa-san asked me to tell you and your friends that the snacks and tea are ready."

"Ah, ok."

The three of us got up and headed back the way we came while Itachi continued in the opposite direction.

"Won't you be joining us, Itachi-san?" Natsuo-nii asked

"I shall join you all shortly, Natsuo-san. I am going to get cleaned up first since I just returned from a long mission." Itachi replied.

"Oh, yea, of course." Then with a nod, Itachi disappeared.

"Well, Sasuke, I guess you were right, your Aniki _is_ the coolest cat on cool street," I said staring at the spot where Itachi had stood. "Wish he was my brother. Mine isn't nearly as awesome as him!"

"Oi!"

"Hm, told you so!" Sasuke said with a smug look on his face which then turned in to a glare. "But Aniki is mine, and there's no way I'm gonna share him with you!"

"Ahh, come on Sasuke, please?" I pouted

"No"

"But-"

"Hey, how old is your brother anyway? Wasn't he wearing an ANBU uniform?" Natsuo-nii asked. _**So that's what that armor was. I thought it looked familiar.**_

"Aniki just turned 11 in June. I believe he's been in ANBU for a little over half a year now." Sasuke replied matter-of-factly.

"Seriously!?Whoa…"

"See, that just proves that Itachi-san is way cooler than you Baka-nii!" I laughed.

"Oh, shut up, Harui!" Natsuo-nii hit me on the head.

"Natsuo! Don't hit your sister!"

His head whipped around. We had made it to the living room just in time for Kaa-chan to see Natsuo-nii bop me on the head. I smirked and he glared back, _**haha busted**_.

"Here kids!" Mikoto-san poked out from the kitchen, "I made you each a plate of onigiri and some tea. Come sit at the table and eat!"

"Yay! Onigiri! My Favorite!" I cheered.

We made our way to the table which had four plates full of onigiri on it. I sat down, quickly muttered "itadakimasu", and then eagerly shoved one of the delicious looking rice balls in to my mouth.

"Mikoto-san! These onigiri are the best! Thank you!" I said with a mouth full of rice.

"Hahaha, I'm glad you like them Harui-chan!"

Happily stuffing our faces with the yummy food, we sat in silence as Itachi entered the room.

Sasuke was the first to swallow his mouthful of rice, "Aniki, I've been practicing throwing kunai while you were gone and I've gotten a lot better! When we're done eating can we go to the training field so I can show you?"

"Sasuke, we have guests. It would be rude of us to leave." Itachi replied with a small disapproving frown.

Sasuke wilted in disappointment.

"Um, if you don't mind, we could come with you." I suggested. Sasuke seemed to perk up at this.

"Yeah, I could use some pointers with my kunai too, if you don't mind Itachi-san." Natsuo-nii added.

"It's no trouble, Natsuo-san. Very well, I'll go tell Okaa-san and Takihana-san where we're going then." Itachi finished his tea then stood and left the kitchen.

Sasuke had a big smile on his face as he quickly finished off the rest of his food. I giggled at how adorable he looked with rice stuck to his face and his cheeks stuffed like a chipmunks.

"Ne, Sasuke, wanna make a bet to see who can hit the most targets?" I asked him after he swallowed.

His mouth curved into a smirk, "Hm, you're on. The loser has to do whatever the winner wants for a whole day."

"Deal!"

* * *

><p>The training field was pretty big considering that we were still in the Uchiha compound. There was a pond which sat along the tree line and thick wooden poles jutted out of the ground here and there.<p>

Itachi led us in to the forest to a small clearing that had target boards pinned up at various angles on the trees.

"Here are six practice kunai. Show me what you can do, Sasuke." Itachi handed him the dull kunai then stepped back.

I watched as Sasuke lowered into his throwing stance, each kunai laced between his fingers like claws. He then jumped in to the air and spun, releasing his kunai as he rotated. When he landed I looked around and saw each kunai neatly imbedded in their targets.

"Well done, Sasuke. Harui-san, I believe you are up next." I nodded then walked to the center.

Sasuke handed me the kunai he had retrieved with a smug smirk on his face.

"Hm, prepared to lose Harui?" I scowled at him.

"Ha, don't count me out just yet Sasuke!" I retorted. "Now move, you're in my way."

He shot me a glare, which I ignored, before moving back to his brother and Natsuo-nii who were sitting at the edge of the trees.

I glanced around, locating my targets. _**Alright, I can do this. It's just like training with Tou-san, except this time there are multiple targets instead of one moving one.**_ I took a deep breath then launched myself in to the air.

I focused on the targets as I threw my kunai while I flipped in the air. _**1, 2, 3…4, 5… 6!I got all six! Ha, in your face Sas-AHH!**_ Caught up in my victory, I had lost focus and came crashing to the ground, landing flat on my butt with a thud.

I sat there momentarily stunned.

"…OWWW! My butt! I can feel it bruising already!" I cried out, my eyes watering. _**Ugh, this is so embarrassing.**_

I got up slowly and turned towards the others. Of course, Natsuo-nii was laughing his head off, but what surprised me was that even Sasuke and Itachi had joined in on the laughter.

"Yea, yea. I know that me landing on my butt is SO funny, but Sasuke~" my face broke out in to a toothy grin. "I hit all six targets, which means that we're at a stalemate, mate!" _**hehe, I rhymed.**_

"Ah, yes. Well done Harui-san. You did better than I expected, being on par with my otouto, I'm impressed." Itachi complimented.

Sasuke laughter died at hearing this. I glanced over to him and could almost see the waves of jealousy rolling off him. I smirked.

"Thank you, Itachi-san! My Tou-san just started training me this year!" I replied.

"Hm, it was probably only beginners luck then." Sasuke scoffed.

"Was not!" I snapped.

"Was too!"

"Gah! You're such a sore loser!"

"No I'm not, I'm just stating the facts."

"Urrgh, I challenge you to a rematch!" I declared, walking over to one of the trees. "Whoever climbs to the top of this tree the fastest wins, deal?"

"Hm, deal!"

And with that we were off, climbing up limb after limb as fast as we could.

Then right when I finally reached the top, popping out of the branches, I saw Sasuke do the same.

"Noo! Another tie!?" I cried, almost losing my balance as I hit my forehead against the tree.

"...Again! Another rematch." Sasuke said with a spark in his eyes.

"Hmph, bring it! I'll totally beat you this time!"

"Ha, in your dreams," Sasuke scoffed. "First person to run a lap around the entire training field wins. GO!" And we were off.

* * *

><p><em>Itachi PoV<em>

I watched as my brother and Harui-san sprinted out of the forest.

It was nice to see him getting along with someone his own age. Sure, there were some kids in the clan that he would occasionally play with, but I could tell he didn't really like them that much. He had always preferred to stick to me instead of going out to play with them. Okaa-san had been worried lately that Sasuke wouldn't make any close friends and had told me before we left that she hoped Harui-san could be that first bond. From what I could tell so far, things were heading in the right direction.

I glanced at Natsuo-san who was sitting against a tree, idly watching the clouds go by. So far my impression of the boy was that he was rather carefree. A quality I wish I had the luxury of indulging in.

"Ehem, Natsuo-san. While Sasuke and Harui-san continue their game, perhaps I could help you with your kunai like you suggested?" I offered.

His eyes light up, and he immediately scrambled to his feet. I couldn't help but chuckle at his enthusiasm.

"Hai, Itachi-san!"

* * *

><p>Sasuke and I laid on the ground exhausted, staring up at the clear blue sky. Somehow we had managed to tie again with our race around the training grounds. Whether our tying streak was a stroke of luck or a curse I wasn't sure, but I knew of a way to definitely end it.<p>

"Rock, paper, scissors," I wheezed, still trying to catch my breath. "This is all or nothing. Whoever wins two out of three wins the bet m'kay. Deal?"

"But that has nothing to do with skill!"

"What, ya 'fraid you'll lose?" I tilted my head to look at him.

"No!" His eyes narrowed at me, "I just don't want you complaining when I win."

This time my eyes narrowed, "Enough talking, Sasuke. Time for battle!"

We threw our hands in the air, each ready in a fist.

"Ya ready?" I asked

"Hm"

"Rock!"

"Paper!"

"Scissors...NOOOO!" I cried

Sasuke grinned

**( Sasuke: 1 Harui: 0 )**

"Again! Best two out of three remember!" I exclaimed

"Yea. Ready?" He asked

"Bring it."

"Rock!"

"Paper!"

"Scissors!"

"YES!" I yelled

**( Sasuke: 1 Harui: 1 )**

Sasuke's eye twitched, "Final round."

I nodded, taking a deep breath. We made eye contact, imaginary sparks flying between us. _**Geez, this is getting intense.**_

"ROCK." I began.

"PAPER."

"SCISSORS!"I stared at my hand, spread flat as paper. Then I looked over to Sasuke's fist, "YATA! I WIN!"

**( Sasuke: 1 Harui: 2 )**

I got up and jumped around doing a little victory dance as Sasuke just lay there staring blankly at his closed fist.

"Aw, don't looked so shocked Sasuke!" I laughed, extending my hand to pull him to his feet. "Hehehe, so, what should I have you do for a whole day?"

Sasuke, now on his feet, turned to look at me with a face mixed with anticipation and horror.

"I know!" With a wide grin spread across my face, I turned to him. "As winner of the bet I declare that you, Sasuke, the loser, must play with me for an entire day!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note<strong>

**So this was a bit late. I actually planned on finishing this on Friday but I was busy and didn't get around to finishing it. Oh well, better late than never, ne? **


	3. The Beginning of Friendship

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, ONLY MY OC'S.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: The Beginning of Friendship<strong>

* * *

><p>My eyes opened just as the first signs of light began to filter through the window. A smile instantly spread across my face when I remembered that today was the day that Sasuke was supposed to play with me.<p>

I slipped out of bed then peeked into the hallway to see if anyone else was up yet. The house was dark but I could hear someone moving around downstairs. I went to the bathroom and showered before heading down to investigate.

As I walked down the steps I heard voices coming from the kitchen.

"Tou-chan! You're back!" He and Kaa-chan were sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea and chatting when I ran up to him, my arms spread wide.

Tou-chan chuckled as he scooped me up into his arms. "Oh, I missed you, my little tea leaf! I hope you and your brother didn't cause too much trouble for your Kaa-chan while I was gone."

"Un, Natsuo-nii and I helped Kaa-chan run errands every morning!" I replied.

"Good, good. So did anything interesting happen while I was away?" Tou-chan asked.

"Uh, not rea -oh, yea! I made a new friend yesterday, his name is Uchiha Sasuke."

"Uchiha Sasuke? Mikoto-san and Fugaku-san's boy?" Tou-chan asked looking over to Kaa-chan who nodded in response.

"Mikoto-san had ordered some tea from our shop a couple days ago so I decided to deliver it to her personally. It'd been so long since we'd seen each other so we took our time catching up while the kids played together. She sends her regards by the way." Kaa-chan explained.

"Hmm, perhaps I should pay them a visit myself soon. I know Fugaku-san and I are way past due for a game of shōgi." Tou-chan mused.

"Ne, Kaa-chan, can you show me the way to Sasuke's house again? I don't really remember how to get there." I asked her, Tou-chan giving me a confused look. "I beat Sasuke in a bet yesterday so now he has to keep me company all day!"

Tou-chan laughed, "Hahaha! That's my girl! We Takihanas never lose in a bet!"

"Yea!" I grinned, pumping my fist in the air.

"WHA- how did you beat me!? You _never_ wake up before me!" Exclaimed Natsuo-nii, who had just walked into the kitchen and was now pointing an accusing finger at me.

"Ha! You lose! Told ya I can wake up early when I have to!" I cheered while Natsuo-nii sulked, now sentenced to doing my chores for a week.

Tou-chan placed a pitiful hand on Natsuo-nii's shoulder, "Tough luck son. Seems a Takihana _can_ lose when they're up against another Takihana."

Natsuo-nii sighed then glared at me, "You may have won this round imouto, but mark my words I _will_ have my revenge! Mwhahahah- ow! Kaa-san!?"

"That's enough avenging for one morning Natsuo-kun." Kaa-chan said, having just knocked Natsuo-nii on the head.

I snickered, "You're such a drama queen, Natsuo-nii."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Harui-chan, stop provoking your brother."

"Hai, Kaa-chan…"

Tou-chan gave an exasperated sigh, "Home, sweet home."

* * *

><p>I glanced at the little map Kaa-chan had drawn, doing my best to maneuver through the winding streets of the Uchiha Compound. Natsuo-nii, having been sent on errands, had walked me to the Uchiha gates where we went our separate ways. Now I found myself walking down a narrow street which looked vaguely familiar. I saw a large house ahead and jogged up to the entrance to read the resident's placard.<p>

"Finally, I found it." I knocked on the screen door.

"Hello, can I help you?" Asked a deep voice from behind me, causing me to jump in surprise.

I turned around to see a tall, stern looking man in a grey kimono and pants staring back at me.

"U-um, hello, my name is Takihana Harui. I'm here to see Sasuke, I'm a friend." I replied, giving a polite bow.

"Ah, yes, Kana-san and Jiro-san's daughter. Itachi had mentioned yesterday that you would be arriving for Sasuke this morning. Pleasure to meet you, I'm Uchiha Fugaku, Itachi and Sasuke's father."

"Nice to meet you, Fugaku-sa-"

The door suddenly slid open and Sasuke appeared in the doorway, "Tou-san! Your home!...Harui?"

"Sasuke! Ya ready for a day full of fun and adventure?" I asked excitedly.

"…you mean I really have to spend all day with you?"

I gave him a puzzled look, "Of course, Sasuke, you made the rules."

"But-"

"Sasuke, as a member of the Uchiha, it is your responsibility to uphold the clan's honor. Under no circumstances do we go back on our word, understood?" Fugaku-san reprimanded.

"Hai, Tou-san…" Sasuke replied dejectedly.

"Well, then let's go!" I grabbed his arm, pausing to allow him to put his shoes on before pulling him out of the house. "Nice meeting you, Fugaku-san. Oh, and Tou-chan says he'd like to play a round of shōgi with you soon."

Fugaku-san gave a slight smile, "Hm, I'd like that."

* * *

><p>"So, what are we doing today?" Sasuke asked.<p>

Honestly, I didn't really know. I figured that once I had taken Sasuke out of the compound we could just run around and be the mischievous little kids that we are. But, it seemed wreaking havoc everywhere we go wasn't really in Sasuke's nature.

"Er, I don't know. What do you wanna do?" I replied.

"I don't know. You're the one who's supposed to decide, not me." He retorted.

"Yea, yea…uhh," I looked around the street for some inspiration when I saw a cat perched on a low tree branch taking a nap. "Aw look! It's a cute little kitty-cat! I wanna pet it. Come on Sasuke, help me catch it!"

Sasuke eyed the cat disdainfully.

I looked at him for a moment, "You're not scared of a cat…are you?"

"No! I just don't like them." He said, looking away.

"…No, I think you're a scaredy-cat! Why else would you not like cats? They're adorable and- hey, where are you going?!"

Sasuke glared daggers at me while he marched by and started to climb on to the limb that the cat was resting on.

"I'm going to get this cat down from this tree to prove to you I'm not a scaredy-cat!" He said with fire in his eyes.

The cat watched lazily as Sasuke got closer and closer, probably wondering why this human was disturbing his nap time. About half a foot away now, Sasuke reached out a hand to try to scoop the cat up. Then, as quick as lightening, the cat jumped, landing on Sasuke's head causing him to crash head first in to the spot the cat once laid in. Sasuke, in an attempt to still capture the feline, tried to grab the animal off of his head but was instead sent tumbling to the ground having lost his balance when the cat used him as a launching pad.

All I could do was stare as the cat sauntered down the street leaving behind a defeated Sasuke sprawled on the ground…_**. Did that really just happen?**_

"Pft-BWHAHAHAHA!" I laughed so hard tears came to my eyes.

Sasuke just sat there embarrassed and extremely annoyed that he just got bested by a cat.

"HAHAHA! I can't believe you got beat up by a cute little cat! Ohhh, I have to tell Natsuo-nii about this later!" I breathed, finally starting to calm down a bit.

Sasuke stood up, brushing himself off while glaring down the path the cat had went, "Come on, Harui. You're going to help me find that cat so I can show it whose boss!"

"Yea Sasuke! You show that little fluffy animal whose boss!" I cheered mockingly.

"Shut up and just help me find it." He snapped.

"Tell me what you're planning on doing to it first." I eyed him suspiciously.

He shrugged, "I was just going to torture it by giving it to you to snuggle with."

"Hey!" I protested, _**my snuggles aren't torture. Hmph, I'm just going to ignore that. **_"Alright, let's go find that cat! Bet I can find it before you do!"

Sasuke just smirked at me before taking off down the street.

* * *

><p>It had been about five minutes since Sasuke and I had split up, taking either side of the busy market street. I weaved through the food stands, even checking inside the store buildings looking for the cat. <em><strong>Geez, where in the world is it? If I was a cat, where would I be…<strong>_

Deep in thought, I hadn't noticed the commotion from the store I was approaching until I was caught in the middle of it.

"What're you doing in my shop! GET OUT! You're not welcome here!" Someone yelled.

I turned towards the store to see what was going on, only to see a boy being hurled at me, knocking me to the ground.

"Ughhh…that hurt," I groaned, looking down to see a boy with bright blonde hair and azure eyes staring back at me wide-eyed. "Uh, could you get off me, it's kinda hard to breath."

"Look what you've done now! Knocking down an innocent little girl, hurry up and apologize then get out of my sight!" The old store owner shouted at the boy.

"Hey, ya old man! _You're_ the one who should be apologizing, not him, I saw you throw him out the door!" I snapped at him.

"Wha- are you saying this is all _my _fault, little girl?!" He looked at me, shocked.

I nodded, "Hai! So apologize to me and to him 'cause no matter what he did you shouldn't have treated him like that, ya old fart!"

The man glared at us for a moment before going back into the shop then returning with a broom in his hand.

"How dare you speak to your elder that way! I'll teach you to hold your tongue, you insolent girl!" He seethed, raising his broom and swiftly striking me on the head. I winced, the old man lifted his broom again, ready for another strike.

"STOP IT! Leave her alone!" The blonde haired boy cried, moving in front of me to block the oncoming blow.

"Move out of the way, you little demon! I'll get to _you _in a moment." The old man said, shoving him to the side.

"HEY! Leave him alone!" I yelled, lunging at the man in an attempt to knock him down. He stumbled back a bit, but stayed standing and began hitting me with the broom to try to get me to let go of him. I held on though, still pushing against him trying to do _something._

"HARUI!" I heard a familiar voice call out to me. "What are you doing!? Stop hurting my friend, Mister, or I'll get my Aniki to beat you up!"

The old man paused to look at the newcomer. Immediately, I took advantage of his distraction by throwing my whole body weight into him, this time managing to knock him down to the ground.

"_That's_ for being mean," I grunted as I stood above the now fallen man. "And _this _is for hitting me with a broom!" Giving him a hard kick to the shin. I watched him grip his leg in pain before quickly making my way over to the blonde boy who was still sprawled on the ground.

"Come on, we better get out of here before he gets back up!" I said grabbing his hand, pulling him back up to his feet.

Sasuke came over to us and quickly grabbed my other hand, "We need to leave, hurry!"

He pulled me after him, I pulling the blonde after me, glancing over his shoulder to make sure we weren't being chased. We finally stopped running when we reached a safe distance from the market street, all of us collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.

"Well, that was fun." I wheezed.

Sasuke glanced over me, "Are you ok, Harui?"

"Yea, I'm fine. That old geezer didn't hit that hard." I assured him.

"Hey, uh…thanks for what you did back there, standing up for me and all…oh, and sorry for knock you down, even though that was that old fart's fault..." The blonde boy spoke up.

I looked him over. _**He seems so quiet for someone with such a colorful appearance.**_

"It's no problem, don't worry about it." I smiled. "I'm Takihana Harui, by the way, you can just call me Harui…or Harui the magnificent, or even Harui the brave. OH, how about the great hero Harui!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "You can just ignore her, she did the same thing when we met. I'm Uchiha Sasuke. Just Sasuke is fine. So, what's your name?"

"Um, my name is Uzumaki Naruto." He said, looking at us cautiously.

"Nice to meet ya, Naruto! So…why was that old guy being so mean to you?" I asked, curious.

"I dun know. It's not like I did anything wrong, that's just how most people are around me." He shrugged.

Sasuke and I glanced at each other.

"Well _we're_ not like that at all! Why would people treat you like that for no reason?! That's just dumb!" I proclaimed. Naruto's eyes seemed to light up at this.

"Ya'll aren't trying to mess with me?" He asked hopefully.

"Of course not. We wouldn't be mean to someone for no reason." Sasuke scoffed.

"Yea! And you even stood up for me back there too! That makes us friends, 'cause friends always have each other's back no matter what!" I grinned, slinging an arm over his shoulders.

I saw Naruto begin to tear up a bit, several emotions flashing across his face as he looked from me to Sasuke.

"Y-you really mean it? W-we're friends?!"

Sasuke nodded, a smile on his face, "You stood up for my friend, so that makes you my friend too."

A giant smile spread across Naruto's face and his whole body seemed to brighten with happiness. He pounced on us, grabbing me and Sasuke in to a warm hug.

"We're FRIENDS, dattebayo!" Naruto cheered, jumping up and down with us in his arms.

I laughed joining in on his cheering, "Yay for friends!Woohoo! Friendship!"

"Oi! Let go of me already you weirdos!" Sasuke complained.

"But Sasuke! This is what friends do when they're happy, right Naruto?" I teased.

"Yea, Sasuke, Harui's right!" Naruto chimed in.

"Yep, and as our friend you must share in the happiness of the beginning of a new friendship!" I concluded.

"I'm starting to wish I hadn't agreed to this," Sasuke sighed.

"Whatever, Sasuke, I know you really like us," I laughed. "So, how about you two come over to my house for lunch, ne?"

"Ok! I've never been over to anyone else's house before, dattebayo!" Naruto said excitedly.

"Fine, but I'm only going because I lost the bet," Sasuke's stomach grumbled, "and because I'm hungry." His face a bit flushed from embarrassment.

I giggled, grabbing his and Naruto's hand before heading off in the direction of my house.

I smiled at the two boys beside me, "So, what should we have for lunch?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note<strong>

**Yay! Naruto has appeared! I know this chapter is really late, but I promise I'll make it up to ya'll since spring break is next week which means more time to write! **

**To Azuki Bean: I can't really say for sure right now if this will be a narutoxOC pairing. I've thought about it, but since my ideas for the future of this story keep changing, so do the pairings. I hope you will stick around though regardless. :) **** But I guess I should say sorry in advance if the story doesn't end up as NaruOC.**

**To Kurotiger: Thanks for being my first reviewer! You should give yourself a cookie! :D**


	4. New Year

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, ONLY MY OCs**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4: New Year<p>

* * *

><p>"Kaa-chan! Tou-chan! I'm home and I brought my friends!" I yelled into the house as I took off my sandals. I motioned for Naruto and Sasuke to follow me as I walked into the living room.<p>

"Your back just in time Harui-chan, I was just about to make something to eat. Hello, Sasuke-kun," Kaa-chan greeted. "Oh, who's your new friend Harui-chan?"

"This is Uzumaki Naruto, Kaa-chan! Sasuke and I saved him from this really mean old man, so now he's our friend!" I told her.

"Hello," said Naruto, giving Kaa-chan a shy smile.

She looked him over for a moment before moving forward and placing a hand on his head, ruffling his messy blonde hair. "Nice to meet you, Naruto-kun, I'm Takihana Kana. Now, there's no need to be shy. Any friend of Harui-chan is always welcome in our home."

"Hai!" Naruto's face brightened with a smile.

Suddenly, there was a loud rumble. I looked over to where the sound came from only to see Naruto blush, holding his stomach. I couldn't help but giggle, Kaa-chan and Sasuke joining in as well.

"How about I make you kids something to eat really quick, since Naruto-kun must be hungry." Kaa-chan said with an amused grin on her face.

We followed her into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

"Harui-chan, you're back already? Oh, and I see you've brought your friends." Tou-chan said, entering the kitchen with Natsuo-nii right behind him.

"Hai, Tou-chan! This is Sasuke and Naruto." I pointed to each boy respectively.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun. I'm Takihana Jiro, Harui-chan's father. You can just call me Jiro." Tou-chan smiled.

"Yo, Sasuke," Natsuo-nii greeted. "I see your little gang is growing, imouto. Nice to meet ya Naruto, I'm Natsuo."

"Nice to meet you Jiro-san and Natsuo." Naruto grinned.

"Here you go kids," Kaa-chan placed a bowl of instant ramen in front of each of us and a plate of leftover gyoza from last night in the center of the table. "Would you like some too, Natsuo-kun? Jiro-kun?"

"No, that's ok Kaa-san. Tou-san and I are going to go train first then get something to eat later." Natsuo-nii replied.

"Ok," Kaa-chan sent Tou-chan a look. "Just make sure you two eat something nutritious and not just sweets again, _Jiro-kun_."

"Why of course, Kana-chan! What kind of parent do you think I am?! Only giving my child sweets…" Tou-chan spoke dramatically, causing everyone in the room to laugh except for Kaa-chan.

"Natsuo-kun, if you make sure your father doesn't drag you to a dango shop after training, I'll teach you that jutsu you've been asking me about." Kaa-chan proposed.

Natsuo-nii perked up at this. "Really Kaa-san!? You'll teach me the flaming fist jutsu!?" Kaa-chan nodded. "Deal! Sorry Tou-san."

"B-b-but Natsuo-kun, today is all you can eat dango for only 500 ryō!" Tou-chan protested.

Natsuo-nii gasped. "What!? No way, only 500 ryō?!...but…the flaming fist…" He looked pleadingly to Kaa-chan, but she just gave him a stern look. Natsuo-nii sighed, "…Sorry Tou-san, I-"

"It's ok son, I know." Tou-chan sighed. "Come, let us go bury our sorrow in our training!"

"Hai, Tou-san!"

"We'll be back before dark, Kana-chan. Nice meeting you, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun. Ja ne!" Tou-chan said, then he and Natsuo-nii walked out the door.

"Geez, those two are so dramatic when it comes to their sweets." Kaa-chan sighed.

I giggled. "Yep, Tou-chan and Natsuo-nii are definitely dango maniacs. One time I saw Tou-chan eat nothing but dango for almost a whole week!"

"That's impossible. There's no way he could have ate only dango for that long." Sasuke scoffed.

"Yea! I'd probably be sick of it by the second day!" Naruto added.

"Heh, you two haven't had _good_ dango then. If I had as big of a sweet tooth as Tou-chan I could probably live off of it too." I said.

"Ne, Harui-chan, why don't you invite Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun over next week to celebrate the New Year with us? I'll make sure to buy plenty of dango for you all to try!" Kaa-chan suggested.

I turned to the boys excitedly, "Ya guys wanna come over for New Year's?"

"I'll have to ask my parents, but I think I can come over." Sasuke replied.

"I'll be here for sure, dattebayo! I usually spend the New Year alone, so I'll definitely will be here!" Naruto said happily.

_**Alone?...**_ "Well you can spend New Year's day with us every year from now on! Right, Kaa-chan?"

"Of course, Harui-chan! You are welcome to come over whenever you'd like, Naruto-kun." Kaa-chan replied.

Naruto's face broke out in to a huge smile. "Hai, Kana-san!"

* * *

><p><em>One week later, New Year's Day<em>

My family and I had woken up early to go to the shrine to say our prayers for the New Year. It hadn't been that crowded at 6:30 in the morning, as expected.

Now I was helping clean the house since Naruto and Sasuke would be arriving soon. Tou-chan and Natsu-nii had left a while ago to pick up some last minute things, while Kaa-chan finished cooking.

I was re-arranging our shoes when the front door suddenly swung open, causing me to jump back in fright.

"We're ho- Oh! Harui-chan! Hahaha, did we scare you?" Tou-chan laughed.

I looked up at him, my heart still pounding in my chest. "Tou-chan! Couldn't you have knocked first or something?!"

"Hehe, sorry my little tea leaf." He chuckled. "Anyway, look who we ran into on our way here. He said he was on his way over, but got a little lost so it was a good thing we ran into him, ne?"

I peered around Tou-chan to see Naruto and Natsuo-nii talking to each other behind him.

"Naruto!" I smiled.

He turned to me, "Hey, Harui! I was so worried I wasn't going to make it here in time for the party, but luckily Jiro-san and Natsuo-sama found me, hehe."

I stared at Naruto for a moment, "Uh… Natsuo-_sama_?"

"That's right Harui! Naruto-kun has realized how truly awesome I am and has become my disciple in hopes that he too can become as totally cool as me." Natsuo-nii raved, eyes glistening with egotistical joy.

I swung an arm around Naruto and quickly walked him inside. "Naruto, it's best if you just ignore people like that. Natsuo-nii is the farthest thing from awesome you could possibly get, trust me." I said seriously, then whispered, "One time I even caught him trying on one of Kaa-chan's frilly dresses…"

We both looked back at Natsuo-nii, who was still in a daze, and pictured him posing and making kissy faces in a mirror. Naruto and I shivered in disgust.

"Oi, why are you two looking at me like that?" Natsuo-nii asked.

"…I see." Naruto said in disappointment.

"It's ok, Naruto. Now you know what Natsuo-nii's really like so you won't fall for his tricks again." I reassured him.

"Wh-HEY! Harui, what did you say to him?!" Natsuo-nii reached out to Naruto but he just turned and walked in to the house.

"Hehehe, nothing but the truth Baka-nii!" I laughed, throwing up a 'v' for victory before following after Naruto.

.

.

.

_About 30 minutes later_

"Bwahahaha, what is _that_ supposed to be, Harui?!" Naruto laughed at my newest creation.

We had been playing fukuwarai for the past half hour and for some reason each face I arranged on the paper head cut-out seemed to get worse and worse. This one had ended up with two different eyes, one round and the other a tiny crescent shape. The thick, bushy eyebrows had somehow ended up below the mouth which was turned so it ran from top to bottom instead of side to side. And the ugliest nose out of all of them was placed upside down in the center of it all.

"Hmm, I take it back, _this_ one definitely looks like you when you wake up in the morning, Harui!" Natsuo-nii teased.

I glared back at him, about to say something back, when I heard a knock on the door.

"Oh, I bet that's Sasuke, Naruto!" I said, getting up from the floor.

Just as the three of us stood up, Tou-chan walked into the living room with Sasuke and his family behind him.

"Ah, kids, the Uchiha-sans are here!" Tou-chan announced.

"Sasuke! You made it!" Naruto cheered.

"Of course." Sasuke said. "Kaa-san, Tou-san, Itachi-nii-san, this is Naruto. He's a new friend of ours."

"Hello, Uchiha-sans! I'm Uzumaki Naruto nice to meet you, dattebayo!" Naruto greeted with a bright smile.

Fugaku-san gave a grunt for what I guess was hello and Itachi-san just smiled and nodded his head.

However, Mikoto-san walked forward and bent down in front of Naruto, placing a hand on his head. "Nice to meet you, Naruto-kun! I'm Uchiha Mikoto, Sasuke-chan's mother. Thank you for becoming one of my son's friends. I'm sure you too will become one of Sasuke-chan's most important people."

Naruto's cheeks reddened a little. "Hai, Mikoto-san!"

"Kaa-san, you're embarrassing me…" Sasuke mumbled, his cheeks red as well.

"Oh, sorry, Sasuke-chan! That's just what mothers do." Mikoto-san laughed

Fugaku-san cleared his throat. "Jiro-san, your daughter informed me that we are overdue for a game of shōgi. I believe now would be the perfect time to settle that."

"You're right!" Tou-chan grinned. "Just a fair warning though, I've been working on my game lately and I've gotten pretty good."

"We'll see about that." Fugaku-san smirked, then the two walked off towards the back of the house, bantering back and forth.

"Those two always get so wound up when it comes to shōgi." Mikoto-san chuckled. "You kids have fun, I'm going to go see if Kana-san needs any help." Then she disappeared in to the kitchen.

"Yo, Itachi, sup?" Natsuo-nii greeted Itachi-san.

He chuckled, "Hello, Natsuo."

"I've been doing what you suggested and my aim has improved a lot, but I'm still lacking in speed and agility though." Natsuo-nii commented.

"I'm glad my instructions helped. If you'd like, I could show you some kata's that could help you with your other problem." Itachi-san offered.

"Really!? That'd be great!" said Natsuo-nii happily.

"Since when did you and Itachi-san become such good friends, huh?" I asked Natuso-nii.

He smirked at me. "What, are ya jealous?"

"Pft, no. I'm just worried about Itachi-san, since your stupidity is highly contagious." I scoffed.

Naruto burst into laughter, even Sasuke and Itachi-san had a hard time keeping it in.

I could see the vein in Natsuo-nii's forehead pulsing. "HARUI!" Then he pounced, grabbing me in a headlock and grounding his fist into the top of my head.

"Everyone! Come and eat!" Kaa-chan called out from the doorway, then she sighed when she spotted us. "Natsuo-kun, let go of your sister."

"Hai…" Natsuo-nii grumbled as he released me.

"Pft- your hair looks like a birds nest, Harui!" Naruto laughed, I frowned.

I felt a hand on my head and turned to see Sasuke trying to smooth down my ruffled hair.

"T-thanks, Sasuke." I could feel my face heat up.

"Your hair was annoying me." He responded, I giggled at his seriousness.

"Guys, come on, let's go eat! I'm starving!" Naruto whined, following Natsuo-nii and Itachi-san in to the dining room

"Wait for us!" I called out, grabbing Sasuke by the hand and following after Naruto.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note<strong>

**Sorry about the delay everyone! I got lost on the road of life! **

**Anyways, so this chapter was originally supposed to be longer but I decided the second half would be better as its own chapter since something big is about to happen to Harui and her family….**

**So stay tuned 'cause **_**Chapter 5: Change **_**will be posted shortly! **


	5. Change

This is just going to be a blanket disclaimer for the rest of this story…

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO ONLY MY OC'S**

* * *

><p>A week had passed since the beginning of the New Year which meant that is was time to visit our suppliers in order to renew our contracts for the upcoming year. Tou-chan would take Natsuo-nii with him to our main supplier in Tea Country, while Kaa-chan went to visit our secondary supplier in northern Hot Water Country. Normally I wasn't allowed to go on these trips because Kaa-chan thought I was too young to handle the journey, but this year I was determined to make her take me with her.<p>

"Pleaaaase take me with you!" I begged. "Don't leave me here with Aunt Kikai!"

"Harui-chan, stop overreacting," Kaa-chan sighed." It's just for a couple of weeks. You'll be fine!"

"No, I don't want to go, don't make me!" I cried. "She smells funny and all the porcelain dolls in her house creep me out!"

"So that's why you don't like dolls anymore…" Kaa-chan mumbled to herself.

"Oh just let her go with you Kana-chan." Tou-chan spoke up. "She's almost five now, I'm sure she can put up with a few days of traveling."

"But Jiro-kun, she has barely started her training. What if something happens and I can't protect her?"

"Don't worry Kaa-chan! I'm pretty good with a kunai, even Itachi-san was impressed with my skills." I interjected. "I bet if any bad guys show up I could take 'em!"

Kaa-chan gave an exasperated sigh while Tou-chan chuckled.

"If you're that concerned, how about hiring an escort then?" Tou-chan suggested.

"I _would_ feel a lot better with the extra protection." Kaa-chan admitted.

"So does this mean I can go?" I asked excitedly.

"Yes, so hurry up and go pack your things. We will be leaving at dawn tomorrow, so make sure you go to bed early tonight because we will be doing a _lot_ of walking starting tomorrow." Kaa-chan replied.

"Hai!"

_The next day_

I stared at the three chunnin in front of me that were assigned to escort us on our trip out of Konoha.

"Hello, you must be the team escorting Harui-chan and I on our trip, yes?" Kaa-chan greeted the group of shinobi.

"Good morning, Takihana-san. My name is Otonii Kito and this is my team, and yes, we shall be escorting you and your daughter on your trip to Hot Water Country." The tall teen with spiky brown hair and sharp gray eyes replied.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Wakamino Sachi." Said the girl to Kito-san's right, her long pony tail falling over shoulder as she bowed. Her eyes were the same deep shade of violet as her hair.

"Hello, my name is Shin." The last member of their team greeted. He was obviously younger than his teammates judging by the height difference between him and the others. His hair was an odd blue-grey color, changing between the two depending on how the light hit it. But the strangest thing about him was his smile. I could tell it was fake right away because I had seen the exact same expression painted on the hundreds of dolls at my Aunt's house.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. My daughter and I are now in your care."

* * *

><p>"Are we there yet?" I asked.<p>

"Harui-chan, it's only been thirty minutes since we crossed the border…" Kaa-chan groaned. "No, we probably won't get there 'til nightfall."

_Ugh._ This trip was a lot more boring than I thought it would be. It's been three days already and nothing exciting has happened at all. I had tried to entertain myself by talking with our escorts but Kito-san just ignored me whenever I approached him. Sachi-san was nice but I could tell I was wearing down her patience after a while. Then there was Shin-san. He didn't seem to mind talking to me and always answered all my questions, but the whole time his facial expression never changed. After a while it started to creep me out, so I started to avoid him instead.

I let out a long sigh then turned my head up to watch the clouds drift by. Judging by the slowly changing color of the sky and the lengthy shadows stretching out on to the dirt road it would probably be a few more hours until the sun would finally set.

"Kaa-chan, I'm bored!" I complained. "Isn't there a game we could play?"

"Well, there is one game I know of called 'I Spy'."

"What's that?" I asked.

"It's a game where one person gives a hint about something they see, like the color, shape, or texture of the object, then everyone else has to try and find what they are looking at." Kaa-chan explained. "For example, 'I spy something long and purple'. What do you think it is that I see?"

I looked around. There wasn't anything that color in the forest from what I could see and the sky hadn't changed to that color yet. So it had to be…

"Oh, I know, it's Sachi-san's hair!" I answered pointing at the slightly annoyed looking girl.

"Correct!"

"Ok, my turn! I spy something long and scaly." I said.

"Hm, long and scaly…it must be a lizard or snake." Kaa-chan mumbled looking around, squinting, trying to find the little white snake I spotted perched on a low tree branch up ahead.

"Is it that white snake up ahead?" asked Sachi, jerking her head in its direction.

"Hai! Now it's your turn Sachi-san." I invited.

The kunoichi seemed bored enough to be willing to humor me this time around. "I spy…hmm…something re-"

"Wait." Kito-san sudden spoke up.

"What is it Kito-kun?" Sachi-san asked.

Kito-san walked towards the snake which was now only a few steps diagonal to us. He examined it with a puzzled look on his face.

"Something isn't right, this species of snake shouldn't be here." He said.

"Perhaps it's an albino?" Shin-san suggested.

The serpent suddenly jerked its head toward Shin-san, seemingly glaring at him as though it was offended by his suggestion.

"No, look, its eyes are gold." Sachi-san pointed out.

Then, as if breaking out of a trance, the snake hissed angrily at us then slithered down the tree and in to the forest faster than any normal snake should have.

"B formation! Now!" Kito-san ordered. He and his team forming a tight triangle around Kaa-chan and I.

It was silent. The wind had stilled and the forest noises fell quiet. I glanced up at Kaa-chan who was now practically wrapped around me like a protective blanket. Her eyes were darting in every direction, searching for any signs of movement.

Then out of nowhere a gust of wind barreled through us, almost blowing me away if Kaa-chan hadn't been behind me. The wind was so strong I couldn't keep my eyes open and barely heard the 'clink, clink, clink' of metal meeting metal. Then as suddenly as the whirlwind began it ended and when I opened my eyes again I saw two cloaked figures standing before us. One looked to be only a little taller than me, a child, while the other was clearly a grown man.

There was a moment of tense silence as both sides studied each other, trying to sum up the level of threat either side possessed. I narrowed my eyes trying to make out the two stranger's faces from under their cloaks, but I couldn't see a thing. Then just as I felt Kaa-chan shift closer towards me, the man tilted his head up just enough for me to catch a glimpse of glowing yellow eyes, _just like the snake, _before everything blurred into motion.

Kaa-chan tossed me over her shoulder as she began jumping through the trees, racing back to the border. Sachi-san was right behind us, her face set in determination and her eyes scanning the trees as we moved. I didn't understand why we were running away. It was only one man and a kid, surely the three chunnin and Kaa-chan could have taken them. I was about to ask what was going on when suddenly Kaa-chan jerked to the side as Sachi-san darted forward, the sound of metal clashing ringing through the air. I twisted around to see and was shocked, somehow the kid in the cloak had sped around and cut us off, putting Sachi-san on the defensive.

Kaa-chan jumped down and set me on my feet, then swung her backpack around and pulled out two kunai and a weapons pouch. She handed a kunai to me and attached the pouch to her hip before looking at me in the eyes.

"Listen to me Harui-chan, I want you to stay here out of sight while Sachi-san and I deal with this. But, if things start to look bad I want you to run. Even if I'm not with you I want you to run as fast as you can back to the border post we passed by, remember? The ninjas there will protect you."

"But, Kaa-chan-" I protested. There was no way I could just leave her behind when she was in danger.

"No, Harui-chan, do as I say! Please…"Kaa-chan said sternly. Her eyes pleaded with me to understand how serious the situation was, so, steeling myself, I nodded my head in acceptance. Relieved that I understood, Kaa-chan wrapped her arms around me and gave a tight squeeze before running off to help Sachi-san.

* * *

><p><em>Shit. Well at least now I don't have to kill them all in their sleep.<em>

Wakamino-san had just left with the Takihanas, the kid in the cloak vanishing shortly after in pursuit. Otonii-san glanced over to me then back at the lone man in front of us. For a moment I thought that maybe he had made the connection, but then I saw his hand twitch behind his back, signaling me the battle plans. What a fool, did he really think being ambushed by such a powerful shinobi could be just a coincidence?

"Doton: Retsu-" He began, but I quickly threw a kunai at his head making him dodge and stumble back in surprise. As he recovered I flashed behind him and drove my tanto through his stomach, wrenching upwards before pulling out.

"Shin, you bastard!" He glared at me.

"Konoha thanks you for your service and sacrifice, Otonii Kito-san." I replied dully. Otonii-san gave me a bloody sneer before tumbling face down into the dirt, blood slowly pooling around him. I reached down and pulled his hitai-ate off his head, neatly tucking it into my bag. With a few quick hand signs I set the body ablaze.

"My, my, how disappointing Shin-kun. I was rather hoping for some entertainment, I've been so dreadfully bored lately."

"My apologies, Orochimaru-sama. But, due to the large wind jutsu you used earlier I'm sure that even the chunnin at the border post must have noticed and will most likely alert the Anbu patrol who will be passing by within the quarter hour. Perhaps if you had not been so eager there would have been more time for _entertainment._" I replied a bit peeved.

Orochimaru-sama gave a gravely chuckle. "So cheeky for such a puny brat. Well, let's get down to business then shall we?"

"Hai. As you already know, four years ago when the Kyuubi attacked, many blamed the Uchiha clan for the amount of damage caused due to their lack of aid during the fight; even though they were only doing what they were ordered, evacuating the villagers. However, recently the Elders have come to believe that it was an Uchiha who was controlling the Kyuubi that night. Thus, the entire clan has been placed under heavy surveillance which has caused the animosity between them and the village to grow rapidly." I explained.

"Hmm, I see. So what is needed of me then?" The Sannin asked curiously.

"Danzo-sama believes the Uchiha's hatred will only continue to grow and will eventually incite them to take action against the village." Orochimaru-sama's lips curled into a wicked smile, probably already knowing what I was going to say next. "So, when the time comes, he asks that you may aid the village in cleansing it of such a threat."

"Genocide…how interesting." His yellow eyes gleamed with anticipation. "I accept only on the condition that I may keep some of them for my experiments of course."

I paused, thinking through all the pros and cons of making such a deal. "Very well, I shall inform Danzo-sama of your acceptance and terms. When the time is near we shall inform you of how many you may keep and the details of your mission."

"Excellent. Now that that is taken care of I suggest you go help your friends before they die. Like I said before, It's been dreadfully boring lately and I'm not the only one whose been itching for some action." Orochimaru-sama smirked.

"No need." I replied. "The woman and child were part of my mission as well."

* * *

><p><em>Nightmare.<em>

That's the only explanation I could think of for what I was seeing. When I wake up I will see the white ceiling of my bedroom and smell breakfast cooking in the kitchen. Not Sachi-san scattered across the forest floor. Not smelling the foul odor of vomit and blood in my nose.

"Because this isn't real." I whispered.

But how do I stop it? I slapped myself across the face. Nothing. I pinched my arm. Nothing. Looking at the kunai gripped in my hand I gritted my teeth and drove it down into my thigh. _Nothing._

"HARUI!"

I froze, kunai ready to stab my leg again, and looked up to see Kaa-chan with blood running down her torso and staring wild eyed at me.

"This isn't a genjutsu. You're not dreaming. This is REAL!" She yelled.

"…Real." I trembled, dropping the kunai as my legs gave out.

"Yes." The cloaked figure spoke. "But it will be over soon." And then he vanished.

"Harui MOVE!"

I turned to see the boy behind me._ A boy._ Although half his face was still obscured I could still make out the ends of pale silvery hair just behind his ears and angular jaw. His mouth twisted into a wicked grin as he raised his weapon and I closed my eyes waiting for the end.

There was a sickening squelch but there was no pain. Confused, I opened my eyes and wished I hadn't. I stared at the bloody tip of the tanto sticking out of Kaa-chan's back. The boy removed the blade with a twist of his wrist and I lunged forward to catch her falling body.

No no no _no. This can't be happening._

"Kaa-chan?" I shook her hoping that she would get up, that she would be ok. But every gasping breath she took only made the blood gush out faster.

"No, you're going to be ok Kaa-chan. We just need to stop the bleeding, see?" I pressed my tiny hands against the hole in her chest. "You can't die yet, you can't!"

I choked on a sob feeling absolutely helpless as her blood oozed through my fingers. I flinched when I felt Kaa-chan's clammy hand pull my head down to rest against her forehead.

"Harui-chan, I want you to look out for your brother for me. Grow strong and live your life to the fullest." She wheezed, staring into my eyes. "And remember, I will always love you no matter what you do. Now go!"

She pushed me back and I struggled to my feet, my body shaking as I cried. I stared at her for a moment, not willing to say goodbye yet, as she gave me a gentle smile and formed one last seal.

I ripped my eyes away as she began to glow and sprinted in the direction of the border. _BANG._ The explosion threw me to the ground and rang in my ears. I scrambled back onto my feet and made it about ten meters before the boy appeared in front of me. His cloak half covered in gore and smoldering embers.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked innocently. "We haven't even had a chance to play yet."

I stumbled backwards, tripping over a root and fell to the ground. _I'm going to die here._ I realized. _This kid tore Sachi-san to shreds, killed Kaa-chan, and now he's going to kill me._ I'm too weak to even last a second. I need help. I can't do this on my own. I need my _Kaa-chan!_

"What? You're not even going to put up a fight? Even after all that your precious _Kaa-chan_ did to save you?" He sneered.

I glared at him, fists clenched in anger.

He snorted, and pulled out his still bloody tanto and began to stalk towards me. "Pathetic. Weaklings like you aren't even worth my time."

I closed my eyes tight, the ringing in my ears increasing every second. _He's right, I am weak. _The ringing was so loud now it was making my head ache. _But Kaa-chan… she sacrificed herself for me._ It felt like needles were trying to push their way out through my eyes. _I can't let that be for nothing!_ I heard the boy come to a stop and felt the air shift as he raised his blade into the air. _I have to _fight! Then my eyes snapped open just in time to see him move to swing his arm down. I jerked my arm up hoping to block the strike, when suddenly a blinding white light flashed across my vision accompanied by a wave of heat.

"GAH!" I heard the boy cry and as my sight cleared, saw that he was stumbling away from me clutching his hand in pain. His tanto was tossed to the side, half melted and burning a scorch mark in to the ground beneath it.

_What's going on? Did I do that?_ I looked down and saw that my hand and forearm were surrounded in what looked to be a heated blue aura. _Is this my chakra?_

"Well, well. It seems we've stumbled upon a newly awakened kekkei genkai, how interesting." Spoke a raspy deep voice. My head jerked up to see the cloaked man from before now standing next to the boy. "Sadly, it's time for us to leave. I'll look forward to meeting again_ Harui-chan_, and having a chance to become better… _acquainted._"

Then with the blink of an eye they were gone.


	6. New Beginnings

**Important A/N: Hey sorry for the unannounced hiatus... but I'm back now! I got the whole story outlined while I was away at least :) Also, I'm so amazed at how many people like and follow this story! Thank you guys so much! Updates will be once a month now. Maybe more if I have time. I will be posting status updates and other things related to this story on my new tumblr! So if your interested in that please follow me : withfateweconspire. tumblr. com**

Chapter 6: New Beginnings

* * *

><p>I wanted to go after them. To burn them to ash with this new power. But as I moved to give chase it felt like I had just been slammed into a brick wall. My body locked up and a sharp pain shot through my heart.<p>

"No… I need to catch them…I need to..." I told myself, trying to get my body to obey.

But it was no use, the world tilted and then I was staring up at a darkening sky, gasping for air. My vision blurred with tears as my heart stuttered in my chest, the blood throbbing in my ears creating a furious hum. Was I going to die now, even after Sachi-san and Kaa-chan died to protect me? I gave a bitter laugh as dark spots began to dance across my vision. The humming in my ears started to become muffled as a numbing coldness started to spread through my body starting at the tips of my fingers and toes. _At least I'll be with Kaa-chan soon _was the single thought that ran through my head as the world began to fade.

I blinked languidly, taking in my last look at the sky at twilight, when a dark shadow suddenly blocked my vision.

"…ound her…severe damage…exhaust…" I barely heard the shadow say.

Then another one appeared along with the color green glowing brightly. "Dam…trying... but…"

The coldness that had spread began to thaw and quickly turned into a raging inferno. I writhed as liquid fire began to run through my veins, my ears popping as my screams filled the air. My eyes shot open and I saw that the shadows hovering over me were two ANBU members. I barely caught a glimpse of a crow styled mask before a glowing green hand tapped my forehead and everything faded to black.

* * *

><p>Beep…beep…beep<p>

"Ugh…a few more minutes…" I stretched my arm out in search of the snooze button on my alarm clock. Not reaching it, I cracked my eyes open only to see that I was not in my room and the beeping was coming from some kind of machine attached to a pole. Then everything came rushing back to me. The snake. The ambush. Sachi-san. Kaa-chan. Then ANBU.

I heard the soft click of the door opened and whipped my head around to see a nurse standing in the doorway with a couple bags of fluids in her arms. We stared at each other in shock for a few seconds before she sputtered something about that I shouldn't be awake yet before turning on her heels and running out the door. Moments later she returned with a tall, middle-aged man with glasses, graying hair, and wearing a white lab coat.

"Harui-chan! How are you feeling? I'm surprised you're awake, I was sure you'd be unconscious for at least another week." The man said as he rushed to my side and started checking my vitals.

"Um, who are you?" I questioned.

"Ah, yes, you've been in a healing coma for the past five days so of course you don't know who I am. I'm Doctor Yatori Shingo and you are one of my patients here in the ICU at Konoha Hospital. You were brought in by an Anbu squad five days ago with severe chakra exhaustion and ruptured pathways scattered throughout your entire body. Luckily when the Anbu team that brought you in found you they were able to roughly patch up some of the major chakra pathways around your heart which prevented you from going back into cardiac arrest. If they had found you only two minutes later you would most likely be dead right now." He stated with a macabre kind of cheerfulness.

"Sensei! You shouldn't say things like that to a child!" The nurse changing out the IV bags scolded.

"Ah, apologies, Harui-chan. Well, your vitals seem to be alright. But I think we'll keep you here a couple more days just in case." Said Yatori-sensei

"Ok. Um, Sensei, do you by any chance know if my father and brother are back yet?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't know. Visitors aren't allowed in the ICU and I've been busy working on my research so I've been living in the labs, you see. It's been so frustrating, too! Wouldn't most people be glad that I was looking for a cure to their hereditary disease? Blasted Uchiha, bunch of pompous bas-"

"Sensei!" The nurse interrupted.

Yatori-sensei huffed. "Anyways, I'm sure Hokage-sama will be here shortly to ask you a few questions about what happened and to answer any questions you might have. So take it easy, I'll be back in a couple days to give you one more checkup before signing your release papers." With a wave goodbye he and the nurse left the room, leaving me to be alone with my thoughts and the silence.

* * *

><p>"Hokage-sama, we just received word from the hospital that Takihana Harui has regained consciousness."<p>

"I see." Sarutobi Hiruzen said, exchanging glances with the other two in the room. "I'll be there momentarily, thank you."

"Well, now that the child is finally awake may we seriously discuss my suggestion?" Danzo asked smugly. "Or are you still trying to delay the inevitable?"

"Very well, Danzo." Hiruzen sighed. "I agree with you that Takihana-chan's training should begin as soon as possible, however, I believe she should be enrolled at the academy rather than being privately tutored by one of your Anbu."

"I don't see how the academy's _Chunin_ instructors would be more knowledgeable in the shinobi arts than an _Anbu._" Danzo argued.

"She just watched her mother die and with her father and brother still missing...what she needs right now are people who care for her. She needs to be enrolled in the academy because she needs to form bonds with her comrades or else she will become isolated and unable to work with others." Hiruzen reasoned. "I've seen it happen too many times to young shinobi during war time and it doesn't do anybody any good."

"Alright." Danzo conceded." Then what if Shin-kun were to give her extra training during her time at the academy? They are already familiar with each other and are close in age."

"Hmm." Hiruzen appraised the young chunin in front of him. According to his file he was highly skilled, possibly even Jounin level already, and only ten years old. " Well, what do you think Shin-kun? Do you think you are up for the challenge?"

Shin gave a sharp nod. "If Hokage-sama is alright with it I believe Harui-san and I will get along well together."

"Good, then it's settled." Hiruzen said, eager to put this problem to rest. " Now if you'll excuse me Danzo, I must go break the news to Takihana-chan. Shin-kun, you might as well come along too."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

* * *

><p>"What?"<p>

The Hokage sighed. "Shortly after your arrival a messenger squad was sent out to inform your father and brother about what had happened. However, when they tracked them down to an inn they had check into they found their room empty and with obvious signs of a struggle. Once we received word about this a special retrieval team was deployed and are currently searching... "

The Hokage's voice faded to background noise as that head splitting ringing in my ears began.

_Missing._

Natsuo-nii and Tou-chan are _missing_ and I've just been _sleeping_ here for the past five days.

Why is this happening? Who would take them? W-what if they're already de-

"Takihana-chan." The Hokage spoke, snapping me out of my thoughts. " I understand this is a lot to take in but there is another matter we must discuss. Your training. I have enrolled you at the academy which will be starting next week. However if you don't think you're ready I-"

"No, Hokage-sama, I'm ready! I want to go to the academy." I interrupted. _I need to get stronger. I need to learn how to use this power._

He gave an approving nod. " Now because of your abilities Council member Danzo thought it would be best if you had a private tutor as well. So we agreed that Shin-kun here would be the best candidate for the job."

_Oh, so that's why he's here._ I looked at the pale boy standing by the foot of my bed. He gave me one of his fake smiles and I grimaced in return.

"I'm looking forward to us working together." He said almost cheerfully.

"Yeah..."I replied.

"Well, we should let you rest now. I will inform your extended family that you are awake and someone will be by tomorrow to sort out where you will be staying once you are discharged." Hokage-sama said as he stood to leave. " And again, my condolences about your mother."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." I said.

Then he walked out the door with Shin-san close behind him, leaving me with my thoughts once more.


End file.
